A Welcomed Sound
by Wendymypooh
Summary: Four solar days have passed since John collapsed, and Aeryn is beginning to fear he will never wake up.


****A Welcomed Sound****

 **"** ** **You did it John. All fighting has stopped. There's no more dying. And all of a sudden, three is not such a scary number. But no matter how wonderful this is, I will not accept it as a trade off for losing you."****

Aeryn Sun Crichton sat in a chair beside her and John's bed, cradling their infant son, in her arms. As yet unnamed, she had taken to calling their precious gift, Sunny. He was a bit of sunshine amid all the chaos.

Her gaze drifted off his peaceful, angelic features onto the prone figure lying on the bed. Her smile faded and she felt emotion well up within her. She immediately tried to snuff it out, but fought against it. For a microt her Peacekeeper training warred with what John had taught her over the four cycles they had known each other. John had taught her that showing emotion wasn't a sign of weakness, but of strength. His teaching won out in the end.

'You need to wake up John. You've had enough time to rest up. Your son needs you. __I__ need you." Tears glittered in Aeryn's eyes when there was no response.

Four solar days had passed since John had collapsed after using the wormhole machine to destroy the massive wormhole threatening to annihilate them all. Her heart had nearly stopped when she couldn't wake John. She and Chiana had carried John to their quarters, and here he had laid since.

Nothing Noranti had tried to revive him with had worked. Nor had their son's crying or her shouting with him to wake up and come back to her. Nothing.

She was beginning to lose hope that he ever would. Tears spilled onto her cheeks. She brushed them away with the back of her hand. She couldn't give in to her fears of losing him. She just couldn't.

Seeing that Sunny had fallen asleep, she rose from her chair, and started to place him in the bed she had fashioned out of a crate. A sudden idea had her laying her sleeping son in the crook of his father's arm instead.

John hadn't responded to any of her tactics to bring him out of his catatonic state. Maybe, just maybe, he would respond to having their son so close.

She hovered by the bed, watching, waiting, hoping…and nothing happened. Dispair rose rapidly, lightning quick within her, until she was clapping her hand over her mouth to keep from screaming out her anguish.

The weight of the emotion exploding within her, buckled her knees. She felt to the ground beside the bed and leaned her head against it fighting for control of her turbulent emotions.

"NO!"

With that one uttered word, the Peacekeeper in her swam to the surface. She wasn't going to do this. She wasn't giving up hope. John would return to her. He was only taking his sweet time in doing so.

She swept the moisture from her face and rose to her feet. Sunny would sleep for awhile nestled in the crook of his dad's arm. She would use that time to compose her feelings.

She spent the next arn working on her prowler and John's shuttle. Doing menial work always had a way of calming her; of helping her to clear her mind of anything, but the task at hand. It was exactly what she needed to get her turbulent emotions under control.

After a quick shower in her former quarters, Aeryn strolled down Moya's corridor back to the ones she shared with her husband and son. As she neared it, she could hear the distinct sound of Sunny beginning to fuss. He wasn't full out crying, but she quickened her step anyways.

She had just reached their quarters when another sound froze her in her tracks. She held her breath, her heart racing, and ears straining to make sense of the sound she was hearing. Was it? Could it be? She didn't dare to hope, yet couldn't stop herself.

The sweetest sound she had heard in four solar days reached her ears: John was crooning softly to soothe their son's fussing. Slowly, Sunny's fussing ceased, and then she heard John say hoarsely,

"Where's your mother?"

"I'm here John."

Aeryn stepped into the room and crossed quickly to the bed. She sat down on the edge of it, being careful not to disturb their son, who had fallen back to sleep. She reached out a hand to John and felt his take hold.

Tears welled up in her eyes and slipped onto her face. John squeezed her hand, his blue eyes held pain in them, but now held concern and love for her in them as well.

"Honey."

John's endearment was her undoing. She felt the dam burst on her turbulent emotions. She leaned her head against the bed and wept. John's hand tightened on her, and she was oblivious to the movement of the bed, as her husband rolled gingerly onto his side, so he could reach her with his other hand as well.

John ignored his pounding headache, his blurry vision, and fought back the bile that rose up in his throat. His wife needed him and he would worry about how he was feeling once had comforted her.

"Aeryn."

She didn't know whether it was her name spoken so closely to her ear or the feel of a hand stroking gently over her head, t hat brought her back to herself. Slowly she lifted her head and gazed with watery eyes at her husband.

"I'm fine." Aeryn hurriedly wiped her tears from her face, using both of her hands.

'No, you aren't.:" John's voice was gentle, but firm.

"No, I'm not, but I will be now that you are awake." Aeryn told him.

"How long was I out?"

"Four solar days."

John closed his eyes. He could only imagine the worry and fear Aeryn must have felt while he was unconscious. He opened his eyes and thankfully found them less blurry than what they were a few microts before. His head still pounded though.

"I'm so sorry." He raised her hand that he was holding, and kissed her knuckles.

"You scared the frell out of me." Aeryn told him. "Don't do it again."

John almost smiled at the slight edge he heard in Aeryn's voice. He would rather have her angry at him, than so emotionally overwhelmed.

"I won't." He didn't add 'I promise' because they both knew with their luck, anything was possible. "The war?"

"Over. The Peacekeepers and Scarrans signed a Peace Treaty. All fighting has stopped."

"Chiana?"

"Grieving. Jothee too."

"Jothee still on Moya?"

"No. He left two solar days ago."

John lifted a hand to rub his brow. His head was killing him. He felt grief, sharp and instantaneously rise within him. Jool. D'Argo. Both had been casualties of the war. Jool as an innocent bystander. D'Argo, in the heat of battle.

"John?"

"I'm fine."

Aeryn smiled. "Now who's lying?"

John lowered his hand and grinned at her. "I am. My head is frelling killing me."

"Rest and I'll get Noranti."

Aeryn was out of their quarters before John could stop her. When she returned with the old one, he was laying on his back with his eyes closed. He heard Aeryn's sharp intake of breath and quickly opened them, catching sight of the brief look of fear that was on his wife's beautiful face before she quickly masked it.

Noranti rounded the bed, and began to poke and prod at him,before he had a chance to protest.

Her examination of him ended abruptly after John threatened to shoot her, if her 'examination' got anymore evasive. She shrugged and left the Crichtons alone to go mix up a concoction for John to take for his aching head.

"Why don't you join me and Little D on here for a namp?" John suggested.

It was an invitation Aeryn couldn't refuse. She had slept little since John had collapsed, and now felt as if she could sleep for a cycle. She pulled off her boots, and walked around the bed. She slid onto it and into John's welcoming arms. Tears threatened again, as she felt an overwhelming wave of security and comfort wash over her. John's had always made her feel this way.

John wrapped his arms around Aeryn, drawing her lithe, but ultra feminine body down beside him. Holding her close felt so good. He breather in her unique scent and felt the pain in his head lessen.

"Little D?"

Aeryn's question made John smile. "Everything went all to hell before we could talk about names again. I'l like to name him for D'Argo."

"D'Argo would be honored." Aeryn said, thinking of their fallen friend. "I have been calling him Sunny…because he's brought such sunshine into my life, not because of my last name."

"D'Argo Sun Crichton. "John smiled. "It has a nice ring to it."

"Yes it does."


End file.
